Enduring the 2010 Haitian Earthquake
by Xascul
Summary: The little nation of Haiti has been hit with a catastrophic earthquake. Tells the story of how America helps Haiti out in this darkest hour.


The 2010 Haiti Earthquake.

The Republic of Haiti was strolling the streets of Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck. She was a cheerful, hardworking girl who loved to fish, swim and make pottery to sell. She and her brother, Dominican Republic, used to be owned by France and Spain respectively, before they broke away to become independent nations. Even thought she worked hard everyday to try and build her country up, waking up at the crack of dawn to do paperwork, and working in the fields everyday until her back burned, she always seemed to be plagued with bad luck.

Today was no different. At 4:53pm on January 12th, 2010, the ground shook violently and Haiti had to struggle to stay upright. She felt as if she was walking on jell-o and eventually fell to the ground after loosing her balance. Soon the sounds of screaming and buildings crumbling filled her ears. As she struggled to find someplace safe, a searing, sharp pain pierced through her heart as she felt the deaths of several hundred people dying in an instant as buildings crushed them. She too screamed out in pain, and the pain got worse as she felt more pain across her body as more and more people were killed. Before she could get up again, she felt a large and heavy thud on back and the afternoon light turned to darkness.

America was busy watching a football game and eating a burger when the program switched to breaking news.

"We interrupt this program to being you some breaking news. An earthquake has struck off the coast of Haiti. The United States Geological Survey has recorded the quake to be of 7.0 magnitude and struck a few miles off from the capital of Port-au-Prince. So far there has been an estimated......"

America didn't even bother to finish listening to the report as he ran vaulted over the couch and ran for the door. As he reached the front door to his house, the phone rang. Normally he would have brushed this off, but this phone was special. He had two lines, one for every day use, and the other for his boss and that was the phone that was ringing. Immediately, he picked up the receiver.

"Hello? Alfred F. Jones speaking."

"Alfred, I presume you heard about the earthquake in Haiti?" President Obama asked on the other end.

"Yes sir, I was about to fly over there just as you called."

"I understand that you are in a hurry, so I'll make this quick. Contact the Coast Guard and Air Force and get anyone they can to help send aid and personnel ASAP. I fear that this situation will be more than one nation can handle. Please contact the other nations as soon as you can assess the damage and report back as soon as you can. God speed Alfred." President Obama said solemnly as he hung up.

America hung up and dashed out the door. He ran to his hanger out back and grabbed his gear. He then jumped into his plane and took off for Haiti.

When he got enough distance he turned on his comm link and said, "This is Alfred F. Jones. Southern Command do you read me? Is there anyone listening on this frequency? Over."

"This is USS Carl Vinson, hearing you loud and clear sir. Over."

"Okay, I need you to get trained personnel, emergency supplies, anything you can get and head to Haiti immediately. We have a crisis on our hands. Over."

"Copy that. We'll see you there. Over."

America next called his favorite division of his military, the Air Force.

"This is United States Air Force Special Tactics Division. What can we do for you today? Over."

"There has been a report that the airport in Port-au-Prince has been disabled. The control tower was knocked out. I need you guys to get there ASAP and get it back up and running as soon as you can. Over." America relayed.

"Right away sir. Over."

Again and again America called anyone that was in the area to head over to Haiti to help. After summoning his military, he started calling other nations.

"England, are you there?"

"Aye, what is it now America?"

"We have a situation on our hands. Haiti has been struck by an earthquake again, a big one this time."

"Again? Ah, that can't be helped. I'll see what I can do okay? I'll contact the other Europeans. They should be on their way soon. Figures you'd be the first one there. You're always playing the hero."

America smiled to himself as he heard that.

"Yeah I suppose so England. I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later okay?"

"Cheerio mate."

America hung up and sighed to himself. He could be a ditz at times, be somewhat insensitive to other nations and bragging all the time, but he also seriously wanted to help others out. He knew that he was the only nation that had the might to do so. He just hoped it was enough.

As he started his decent and got closer to Haiti, he tried glancing down at the damage. As his altitude got lower, the scope of the damage became bigger. The capital, from what he could see, was completely wrecked. He couldn't find a single building that made it through without a scratch and most, seemed to have collapsed. He tried calling for a Haitian airwaves, but none responded. He found the airport and indeed the control tower was out. Oh well, that just made his job a little bit harder.

He swung his plane around in a u-turn and tried to line up his plane as best as he could with the runway. As he descended even lower, he heard a voice on his comm link.

"Mr. Jones, you are off by two degrees to the west. Please correct yourself. Over."

America couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit to himself.

"You got here before I did, Special Tactics. You never fail to make me proud. Over."

"Hey that's our job. Now quit slacking and land already, there are several more planes that are coming in after you. Over."

America landed his plane and was directed off to the side by a Special Tactics officer. He could already see several more personnel preparing some stairs and other equipment for him. He killed the engines and disembarked down some stairs that was brought not two seconds ago. The officers saluted as America stepped on to the ground.

He gave a quick salute and asked, "What's the situation so far? What happened to the Haitian command?"

The officer shook his head. "There is none. Everything is in chaos now. We have not been able to contact the Haitian President and have not been able to contact Haiti herself. It looks like we'll be in charge for a while."

"Alright, you guys have done well, we have to get as much aid here as soon as possible. I'm going into the capital to help out, meanwhile, continue to direct as many flights as possible."

"Right away sir." The officer saluted and both men ran off in opposite directions.

America made a quick stop by the makeshift command center to pick up as many supplies as he could carry. He loaded his pack with several bottles of water, food rations, tools, anything he could get, before running off through the gates and into the city.

It was almost like crossing into a different world.

Everything around him was destroyed or in ruins. Once proud office buildings lay in shambles. Street signs and poles laid on the ground, debris and dust was everywhere. People everywhere were running about trying to dig at the ruins for lost ones. If he hadn't known all this was caused by an earthquake, he would have thought he had just walked into a war zone. He had seen this kind of destruction before. When he took an inspection tour of Japan after the war ended, Tokyo was just like Port-au-Prince now.

_Where was Haiti? Is she alright?_ He wondered.

He ran a little further and saw a group of people digging desperately in a crumbled building. He heard a girl screaming and ran over and asked what was wrong. In broken and thick accented English the people told the American that there were several people trapped underneath the rumble. Without thinking, America quickly dove in and started clearing the large pile of rocks and continued doing so until he saw a dark skinned hand. Using his mighty strength, he pushed apart the debris that pinned the girl down and pulled the little Haitian girl out. He saw several more people trapped and pulled them out one by one and led them to safety.

"Merci bo coup Monsieur!" said one person in French.

"Thankz you vewy much!" said another in accented English.

There were several people who thanked the American and he smiled. He really was a hero today, he thought.

Meanwhile Haiti herself was still trapped under a pile of debris. When she came too she found herself wedged in. She screamed again as pain continued throughout her body.

_Was she going to die?_

_Things were finally starting to get better for her again, so why did this have to happen to her?_

_Was all that hard work for nothing?_

_What was she going do to?_

_What was going to happen to her people?_

She closed her eyes and wept. She was a nation, and here she was trapped just like them, unable to help or do anything.

But all hope was not lost. Soon, her dark shell opened up and there against the bright light, stood America. He was struggling to hold up the large chunk of wall to allow her to climb out.

"A-ah...thank you Monsieur America.....I didn't think you'd be able to find me...." Haiti said with a rather weak voice.

"Of course I can find you! I'm the hero of course! Now c'mon!" He extended his hand out, grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her to her feet.

After rescuing the other trapped survivors, America let the chunk of wall collapse, and looked over at Haiti. She looked like she had been to hell and back. She looked a complete mess. Her tanned skin was covered in cuts and bruises and her once bright amber eyes looked rather bloodshot and she was covered in soot and dust from head to toe.

"Listen, we need to get you out of here, there is a risk that aftershocks may occur, we need to get you to a safe place as quickly as possible.

"No. No I need to see this for myself." she said, trying to sound strong and determined.

"You know you'll only see destruction. But if that is what you wish..." America pulled her arm around his shoulder to support her weight and she pointed in the direction they needed to go. Haiti herself had not only to struggle to stay upright, but also against her own tears as she saw more and more of the devastation. Every part of her body ached, but she didn't care. She was a nation after all, and her duty was to her people. The two stopped several times to help or rescue people whom were trapped underneath all the debris. They helped give a bit of their provisions where they could, but the survivors and homeless were endless.

They passed by several, but barely recognizable buildings as they made their way towards the palace.

They passed by the main Cathedral. Once a beautiful Gothic structure clad in pink and white brick and stone was now a skeleton of its former self. The towers and roof was knocked out although the lower floors remained more or less intact. Haiti turned away as she heard that the body of the archbishop was discovered dead in the ruins.

They passed by the Parliament building, all but destroyed. America and Haiti both realized that getting aid to the country was going to be a challenge as there was little infrastructure left intact, making it difficult to coordinate relief and communicate. America brought along his cell phone just in case, but may as well have left it back home as there was no service.

There was one more place Haiti wanted to check before heading back to the command center.

"America? Can you take me to the Presidential Palace? I want to see if my superiors are alright."

"Alright."

The two made it to the Presidential Palace in a few minutes. Not surprisingly, the once beautiful edifice constructed in the Baroque style was also in ruins. The second floor and roof had collapsed onto the first floor and the main entrance was also destroyed.

Haiti freed herself from America's grip and tried to run inside the building.

"Miss Haiti wait!" America shouted and quickly grabbed hold of her.

"Let go! I have to make sure my superiors are alright!" she shouted back trying to pull away.

"Listen to me! You mustn't go inside, the building is not safe! What if there's an aftershock?" Almost right on cue, the two felt the earth shake a bit, it was not severe but it managed to shake a few more bricks loose from the building.

"See? Haiti, I know its tough, but we have to get you to safety first. I'm sure your bosses are alright. I believe they're using the airport as their temporary headquarters now." America said trying to console her.

Haiti couldn't take it anymore.

She felt her legs give away and she collapsed on the grass lawn. She allowed the tears to finally flow out of her eyes and cried. America sighed and sat down next to her. He placed his arm around her and held her close to him. For a few minutes, America just sat and listened to her cry. He pulled out his half-empty water bottle and let Haiti have a quick sip.

"Haiti, I...I have to admire you for being strong in the face of a natural disaster. When Hurricane Katrina hit five years ago, I felt powerless to help my people out. I was even more angry at my former boss that he and his administration for his delay in the response to the disaster. You've been able to endure this better than I have. That's something your people will continue to look up to you to do."

Haiti sniffed a bit and smiled weakly. "Merci bo coup, America. That made me feel a little better."

"I know its painful. I did warn you. But never fear! Myself and the other nations will help you rebuild!"

"Really?"

"Of course! We can't bare to see a fellow nation harmed because of some stupid earthquake right?"

"Speaking of which, where are the other nations?"

"They're coming in as we speak. England should be here in a few hours, the other Europeans shouldn't be too far behind. Are you ready to go?"

"Okay." Haiti said and the two stood up and walked back to the airport. When the two got there, Toussaint Louverture International Airport was packed full of planes and countless boxes and grates of supplies. Haiti smiled weakly as she and America saw several large planes landing one after another on the runway. As one plane left the tarmac, another one took its place. America could see his officers and commanders working and running around trying to direct air traffic manually as radio transmissions were knocked out.

It was not before long that airplanes with flags other than America's began arriving.

"England! There you are!"

"America, Haiti! Are you two alright?" England asked them as he ran off his plane.

"Yeah, more or less. C'mon, I think the others want to see that you're still in one piece."

She was handed over to a medical team who took her aside to treat her wounds. Meanwhile, America and England began discussing about how to distribute aid and resources. So much was damaged, which made it much more difficult to communicate with each other and get resources into the country. They tried to get the ports to open up and America had to coordinate with hundreds of other agencies to set up relief shelters, hospitals and other necessities.

After almost two days of no sleep and rest, America simply collapsed on the side of the road with his arms still full of supplies. He simply was too tired and exhausted to carry on. He needed the rest badly.

There still was so much suffering and so much that still needed to be done.

Alfred F. Jones, despite being the world's only superpower and having the military capability to help Haiti initially, he was still just one nation and he couldn't do this alone.

Of course, he was not alone.

Within those two days, America and Haiti began seeing more and more of their fellow nations. Germany arrived with several rescue teams and shipments of aid. He took one look at how the airport was bottlenecking the shipment of supplies, and shook his head. He went straight to work on improving the efficiency of the unloading of supplies and movement of relief teams. Italy was helping to distribute several 'ready-to-eat' meals, Japan was busy helping to set up shelters and medical teams, the rest was endless.

Haiti looked out over her makeshift hospital room and smiled. Nations, while having to endure the pain and suffering of their people for the rest of their lives, the fact that she was still here was a testament to her people's will to continue to live and make a living on her side of the island.

As the days dragged on, there were a few aftershocks but nothing too severe. There were reports of looting, people not getting enough aid and water, and the threat of disease.

But no matter what happens in the upcoming days, she'll endure. She was a nation after all.

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Please read and review!

A/N: This is dedicated to all the hard work all the nations have contributed to the poor nation of Haiti so far. If you're out there, in this world and the next, we are here for you.


End file.
